Just over two weeks ago, we at IPL noted the 100th birthday of former Indians player Eddie Carnett, who was at the time the oldest living man to ever play in major league baseball. In my story, which was published prior to Game 6 of the World Series, I noted that Carnett must have wondered, as every Indians fan wonders, whether the Tribe would win the World Series during his lifetime.

Sadly, they would not. The Indians went on to lose Games 6 and 7, and thus the World Series, to the Chicago Cubs. Like every Indians fan, I was crestfallen by the outcome of the Series, and gave little thought to baseball over the next week or two. Thus it was that I missed the news that on November 4, two days after Game 7, Eddie Carnett died at his home in Ringling, Oklahoma, surrounded by members of his family.

Carnett’s MLB career wasn’t a long or heralded one. He played in 158 games over three seasons, mostly as an outfielder, although he was used twice as a pitcher. His last 30 games were with the Indians in 1945. There are few Indians fans alive today who ever saw Carnett play for the Tribe. And yet he was part of the team’s history, and we at IPL mourn his death.

The title of oldest living major leaguer now passes to Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby Doerr, who played in 1,852 games for the Boston Red Sox. Doerr, age 98, played his last game on September 7, 1951. The oldest living former Indian is now catcher Tom Jordan, 97, who appeared in 14 games for the Tribe in 1946.

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Vern Morrison has been a fan of the Cleveland Indians since John F. Kennedy was president. He has been to some memorable Indians games over the years, including Opening Day, 1975, when Frank Robinson homered in his first at-bat as player/manager of the Tribe. He’s also seen a great many games he’d just as soon forget.
Vern works for the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter.